While the local transmission rate of the Omicron variant is one of the highest in the world, the country is accelerating its plan to gradually reopen the borders.
As of Wednesday March 2, New Zealand travelers from Australia are no longer required to self-quarantine – provided they are vaccinated. On the other hand, they must always undergo a first test on their arrival and a second test five or six days later. As for those who test positive for coronavirus, as well as unvaccinated travelers, they must continue to isolate themselves in an approved quarantine center (the FRIENDS), precise The Guardian.
This is the first step in the plan to gradually reopen the borders announced on February 3 by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. The second stage, which notably concerns New Zealand nationals from the rest of the world, “eligible” foreign workers and holders of a working holiday permit, initially scheduled for March 13, has just been brought forward to Friday, March 4, announces the newspaper.
Scheduled dates for next steps are also likely to be revised, the executive said, until next October, when New Zealand’s borders are expected to reopen to all travellers.
Surge in contamination by Omicron
New Zealand now has one of the highest levels of Covid-19 transmission in the world – “a dramatic turnaround for a country that had successfully curbed the spread of the virus for much of the pandemic,” notice The Guardian.
Experts have calculated that the effective reproduction rate (i.e. the number of people infected by a single individual) of the Omicron variant in New Zealand was 4.23, which means that one infected person transmits the virus to more than four people.
Under these conditions, believes epidemiologist Michael Baker, there is no longer any real reason to maintain health restrictions at the borders. “We’ve almost gotten to the point where people entering New Zealand have a lower prevalence of infection than people living in the country.”
A report dated February 28 reported 334 people hospitalized and 14,633 confirmed cases of contamination.
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